Chapter Ninety-Nine: Unexplained Irritability (Please Support the First Subscription!!)

“Sorry, I lost my composure for a moment.”

Baiko Kyo took a deep breath, struggling to calm the unsettling feeling deep within him. He even activated his Dragon Blood internal energy, hoping to clear his mind and steady his spirit.

Yes, the sun was splendid today, the sea breeze refreshing, Tokyo Bay bustling with people, and behind him, the deck was alive with laughter and merriment.

It should have been a peaceful and beautiful day...

—but no, not at all!

Even his internal energy was powerless against it!

No matter how he reasoned with himself, that nauseating feeling clung to him like a persistent torment.

As if… as if something alien was entwined right beside him,

giving rise to an indescribable mix of revulsion and terror that refused to dissipate.

Wait… terror?

Baiko Kyo’s dark pupils suddenly contracted.

His gaze slowly moved from the ship's railing downwards,

to the now murky sea surface below.

This inexplicable sensation did not come from nowhere.

The source of this feeling had already spread its aura across the entire sea, making it seem as if it was unfounded.

He recalled the fear he had fought within himself that very night aboard this ship.

Since learning that the Emperor Organization was affiliated with the United States, he had planned that after winning the fighting tournament,

he would leverage that identity to reach out through the tournament’s financial magnates, the Japanese government, and the US military stationed here.

To thoroughly scan the sea area where that night’s events took place.

In today’s world, the globe was not so vast—it was unlikely that anything uncontrollable, beyond the reach even of the world’s top powers, could lurk unnoticed.

If that “terrifying thing” was some kind of weapon research project, then a clear report would put everyone’s minds at ease.

If it was a freakish mutated creature, then submarines, battleships, and missiles would swiftly deal with it—after all, ensuring safety was part of maintaining business confidence!

But now, Baiko Kyo’s mind entertained a thought far beyond the understanding of those educated in modern times.

What if… there really was something that even the world’s superpowers could not handle…?

“Rumble!

Rumble!”

The Enbu ship suddenly shuddered violently, and the well-dressed passengers chatting merrily on deck were flung to the ground like rolling gourds.

Juices, alcohol, and snacks spilled everywhere, crushed beneath the tumbling bodies into a nauseating mess.

The decorum of the upper class vanished in an instant.

Only those like Baiko Kyo and Saeko, whose martial arts training had given them solid foundations, could barely keep their footing on the deck.

Even the Enbu, a top-tier cruise ship with enormous displacement, was affected so severely; many yachts nearby capsized outright.

A vast expanse of blood-red liquid bubbled up from the seabed, staining the surface of the water.

Occasionally, waves of scorching steam, surging from unknown sources, shot hundreds of meters into the air before slowly dissipating.

Whether it was an illusion or not, Baiko Kyo felt as if, through the thick steam, he glimpsed a colossal figure writhing—something utterly impossible according to biology.

“Passengers, please return to your cabins immediately! The captain suspects a possible underwater volcanic eruption nearby. The ship will head at full speed into Tokyo Bay to dock. Please ensure your safety!”

The captain’s announcement, broadcast throughout the ship, provided a semblance of order amid the panic, calming the crowd.

Waiters, crew, and esteemed guests alike hurried toward the cabins, unwilling to remain on the deck any longer.

“Hey? Kyo! Did you experience an underwater earthquake? Are you okay? Hey, steady the ship! What? You found something? Found what?”

Baiko Kyo’s phone buzzed with Yagami’s frantic shouting from the other end.

“I’m fine here. Let’s contact each other again once we’re ashore.”

With the situation unclear, he had no choice but to end the call.

~~~~~~

This “underwater earthquake” was far from normal.

That was the consensus at the Japanese Cabinet’s emergency meeting.

But civil servants could not openly contradict the politicians above them, especially when it came to unwelcome opinions from outsiders.

So...

“First, those Enbu fighters caused panic on the island! Now this mess!

This incident has already led to the closure of the Tokyo Bay underground tunnel, flooding along coastal highways, even electric trains and flights delayed. Economic losses have already reached tens of billions of yen in just ten minutes!”

Prime Minister Okouchi sat at the head of the sofa, a man with a commanding presence, speaking bluntly and gravely, embodying the public’s image of a leader.

He tossed the loss report handed to him by his chief of staff onto the table and cast a steely gaze over the assembled top officials of the Japanese government, all of whom lowered their eyes to avoid meeting his.

“How am I supposed to explain this to the people?”

“An underwater volcano! That’s our conclusion,”

said the Environment Minister, his hair slicked perfectly with gel, accepting a note from an aide behind him with confident certainty.

But the Minister of Construction immediately objected.

“Geological surveys conducted before the tunnel’s construction prove that there is no chance of a volcanic or geothermal eruption there.”

In short, his message was clear: I did my job perfectly well. Don’t try to pin this on me.

“Then… could it be a foreign submarine crashing into the bay?”

The Environment Minister didn’t want to hassle the Construction Minister unnecessarily, so before accepting a follow-up note from his aide, he quickly shifted direction.

Though everyone knew which “foreign country” was being alluded to.

But this struck a nerve with the Defense Minister.

“Please don’t joke!” The short-haired woman glared at the Environment Minister. “Tokyo Bay isn’t deep enough for submarines!”

“Oh! I see now!”

The Environment Minister forced a laugh and shot a sharp glare at his aide for the slow delivery of the note, as if to say: It’s your fault I’m offending people!

As no department wished to take responsibility, the Chief Cabinet Secretary, seated closest to the Prime Minister, spoke slowly.

“None of these matters. Just state the conclusion.”

“Then the volcanic eruption explanation is the most reasonable,” the Environment Minister quickly agreed.

“Good. Let’s release that explanation and prepare for another response meeting,”

the Chief Cabinet Secretary declared in a few words, then looked up at the Prime Minister, asking slowly,

“How do you feel about this approach?”

“Hm.” The dignified Okouchi nodded. “Let’s proceed this way.”

Everyone present accepted this as perfectly normal and customary—choosing a convenient excuse over thorough investigation into the disaster’s cause.

Only one young, handsome man sitting at a table near the sofa, the Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, furrowed his brow.

He seemed displeased by the decision.

But before he could speak, his companion at the table stopped him.

Unfortunately, the young politician from a political family lacked the smoothness of his seasoned colleagues.

“Prime Minister!” Shitsuko Rando spoke loudly. “Please consider the possibility of a ‘massive unidentified creature.’ The evidence is in the footage circulating online.”